This drama is about a girl who was diagnosed with a disease called Spinocerebellar Degeneration when she was 15 years old, and was able to continue her life until her death at the age of 25 years old.The plot is based on the true story of a Japanese girl named Kito Aya, who had the same disease. She kept writing in her diary to remember her experiences until she could no longer hold a pen. Aya simply wished to live until the end of her life, and the purpose of writing in the diary was to remind herself to not give up. She shed tears many times, at the same time encompassed by the rich love and support from her family, friends, and boyfriend. Her diary “1 Litre of Tears” was published after her death, because of its inspiring and courageous message of, “Just being alive is such a lovely and wonderful thing.” So far, over 18,000,000 copies of her diary have been sold.
The Review
This dorama features Sawajiri Erika, Nishikido Ryou, Narumi Riko, Yakushimaru Hiroko, Jinnai Takanori and Fujiki Naohito. Sawajiri Erika has powerfully brought out the character of Aya, and people who watch this dorama will feel compassion for her while she suffers from the illness. My tears flowed after almost every episode as I questioned myself, “What would I do if I were Aya?” This is a dorama where you can see a 15 year old young girl who was able to face her disease bravely, and tried her best to treasure the time she spent with her friends, family and boyfriend everyday she could. To me, this was one of the best doramas of 2005, mainly because the reality of this story has enlightened me. I realized that my life is not that tough compared to those who are suffering from an incurable disease. “1 Litre of Tears” stood out for a reason: it is not because Aya was upset because of her disease, she was touched by the love and patience she received from her friends and family. I was amazed by the braveness with which she chose to live her life, as a strong girl who was only 15 years old, yet managed to face her cruel fate with a positive outlook, and tried her best to do whatever she could by herself.
